Thumbs up for private electricity

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

The Western Cape Government has welcomed the national government’s gazetting last week of approval for the generating of electricity by independent power producers.

The approval by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe comes as South Africa faces its worst year for load shedding on record. According to the gazette, Eskom will now be forced to buy the new electricity from the successful independent power producers.

It is estimated that load shedding to date this year has cost the South African economy in excess of R160 billion. The gazette determines that South Africa must get 6 800 new megawatts (MW) of wind and solar PV power, while 513 MW should be procured to be generated from storage, 3 000 MW from gas and 1 500 MW from coal. The first electricity from these projects should land on the grid in 2022.

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